IPOB Press Release
March 17 2023 | IPOB
The global family of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the leadership of our able Leader Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu KANU unequivocally refutes the Global Terrorism Index Report of 2022 as a conspiracy by the Federal Government of Nigeria and some foreign Agencies to blackmail and demonize the IPOB globally.
It’s very disappointing that a reputable organization such as Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a USA-based Institute that has been given a measurable global terrorism index will descend so low to publish fictional and inaccurate accounts in their 2022 terrorism index report.
In the IEP’s Terrorism Index Report of 2022, the current Nigerian Government was cleverly portrayed as haven improved in counter-terrorism while in reality, the terrorists have become more emboldened during the period.
According to the report, the total number of deaths due to terrorism in Nigeria for 2022 is 448 which is the lowest level since 2011. This is a concocted falsehood. In one State such as Benue State alone, the Fulani sponsored terrorists have killed more than 400 civilians. The report as it relates to Nigeria showed a full script from Nigeria Government handed over to the Institute for publication.
In the same report, IPOB was mentioned as the 3rd violent group that has caused civilian deaths. We challenge IEP to present irrefutable evidence of where IPOB killed any person in Nigeria. On the contrary, there is much verifiable evidence both on print and social media on the massive and extrajudicial killings of many IPOB members by Nigeria Security Agencies since 2017.
IPOB Lawyers, Amnesty International Nigeria, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) Nigeria, and many Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria including Nigeria media have evidence of the mass killing of unarmed peaceful IPOB members in Nigeria. Irrespective of all these illegal arrests, detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings including the extraordinary rendition of our leader. IPOB has remained peaceful in the face of all these high levels of provocation. Nigeria’s Government is pushing the narrative that IPOB is the aggressor but in reality, we are the victims of the oppressive Government.
“They were responsible for 40 attacks and 57 deaths in 2022, an increase from 26 attacks and 34 deaths the year prior. IPOB is a separatist movement with many factions, many of which are seeking a peaceful succession from Nigeria.”
An extract above from the Global Terrorism Index Report of 2022, showed a great contradiction from what is supposed to be assumed as a research and investigatory group. So IEP doesn’t know which “IPOB” is peaceful or which is violent. This is what can be referred to hyper confusion.
For the sake of records, IPOB remains one united family with no faction and a proven non-violent freedom movement with offices and members in over 90 Nations of the world including the USA. In all these Nations, IPOB has been peaceful and law-abiding with no trace of violence or terrorism. For IEP to tag IPOB in their report is highly provocative and libellous and we shall challenge this report from a proper perspective.
As evil and wicked as the Federal Government of Nigeria and in their desperation to blackmail peaceful IPOB struggle, they have sponsored armed groups claiming to be IPOB who were paid to commit all manner of ¢rimes in the Eastern Region so as to shop evidence to blackmail IPOB. We have in several press releases distanced ourselves from those criminals being led by agent provocateurs in Finland. Their actions and inactions have nothing to do with IPOB or Mazi Nnamdi KANU. Some gullible IPOB members who joined them were dismissed from the movement.
In some cases, Nigeria Security Agents were the ones killing the people while the Federal Government of Nigeria rush to the media to tag the killing on IPOB without carrying out any investigation. We challenge the Fulani-led Federal Government of Nigeria and IEP to provide any verifiable evidence to back their claims that IPOB is involved in any kind of violence let alone in terrorism.
According to Noam Chomsky, he said “nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It’s something you have to find out yourself ” If IEPs are interested in knowing the truth about Nigeria’s Security and IPOB Movement, they should find it out themselves or use reliable organizations to verify their report before allowing the fantastically corrupt Nigeria Government to ridicule their reputation in the bid to blackmail the Indigenous People of Biafra.
Some reputable organizations based in Nigeria such as Amnesty International and particularly localized Civil organizations such as the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) Onitsha, Nigeria can help them with variable evidence.
In what seems to be the script of the Fulani-led Government of Nigeria, the name of Fulani Herdsmen which is the world’s 4th most deadly terrorist group was advertently removed from the 2022 Terrorism Index Report. Irrespective of numerous documented evidences of the Fulani massacre across Nigeria including the most recent slaughter of more than 100 people in the Aha Amufu Community in Biafra Land in early December of 2022. What a wonderful report from IEP?
We encourage IEP to protect their earned reputation by sending independent investigators rather than relying on their agents in Nigeria who are under the pocket of the Nigeria Government for their report.
We are here to tell our own stories to the world with facts and figures. We advise US Government to stand as a global Human Rights defender to defend the right of every world citizen and not join the oppressors to abuse the rights and privileges of ordinary citizens.
IPOB remains peaceful but resolute in pursuing Biafra liberation through UN supervised Referendum. We are not going to be distracted by sponsored blackmail and propaganda, not now and not tomorrow.
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL, MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB
Published by:
Chibuike Nebeokike
For: IPOB
